Employment rise welcomed by chamber
The drop in unemployment levels in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire was hailed as an encouraging performance by the counties' chamber of commerce.
In May this year, the jobseekers' allowance claimant count for Derbyshire was 15,638, down from 15,979 in April. In Nottinghamshire the number was 15,739, down from 15,999 the previous month.
However, the number of claimants rose slightly in both Derby and Nottingham.
According to the Office for National Statistics, unemployment fell nationally by 88,000 in the first quarter of 2011.
George Cowcher, chief executive of the Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire Chamber of Commerce, said: "These figures are encouraging and reflect a good performance, with private sector businesses continuing to create new jobs.
"The chamber’s view is that the economy has seen continued growth throughout the year, although the pace of growth has been unpredictable and this will be the case for some time. However, the message coming back from member businesses is that they are planning for growth over the next quarter and beyond and there are more firms looking to take on new staff than shed jobs."
